Asus plans investment into gaming stores and smartphones in India

Despite having been in the Indian market only since 2014, Asus has managed to secure 2.5% of the market share of the smartphone industry. Their strategies make it evident that they are planning to focus on mid to higher range devices. Apart from smartphones, the company also plans to open a collection of gaming shops.

AsusTek country manager and regional head Peter Chang said that the company plans to double their market share in the smartphone department by the end of this year. This is largely dependent on the success of their Zenfone 3 which starts selling in India next month.

The Zenfone 3 costs over Rs. 20,000 but the company plans to launch phones worth Rs. 10,000-15,000 to cater to a population that seems largely concerned with mid-range devices. The average selling price of smartphones in the first quarter of 2015 in India was Rs. 10,364, but reportedly by Android Authority, the figure has increased to Rs. 13,000. Hence, the move to start selling mid-range smartphones is more than justified.

Asus Gaming Store plan

Asus has opened up one gaming store in the country, and another is likely to start later this week. These stores will focus on merchandise from Republic of Gamers. It has been revealed that the company intends to start a total of five Republic of Gamers stores by the end of 2017 and 195 other gaming stores.

This dual-pillar approach by the company is not unprecedented in India. Sony started off in India with smartphones and their gaming stint also earned them a lot in the country. However, the company has started to ‘defocus’ in the country for their mobile business. The gaming industry in India is relatively untapped, and the opportunities for Asus seem endless. However, their expertise in the area remains to be a matter of debate.